Another cautionary tale of a planning commissioner that went too far during the social upheaval of the coronavirus pandemic, and has since been removed from their civic position.

Judith Prieve reports on a controversy surrounding a planning commissioner in the city of Antioch, California that resulted in the ouster of a planning commissioner who made controversial remarks about the effects of Covid-19 on high-risk residents.
"At a special meeting [recently], the Antioch City Council unanimously removed Ken Turnage from the planning commission for declaring on social media that nature should 'take its course' as the coronavirus kills the weak, the old and the homeless," reports Prieve.
In the special hearing, Turnage stood by those remarks, and some of the numerous calls and 92 emailed public comments expressed support for Turnage's opinions on the matter. A statement by Antioch Mayor Pro Tem Joy Motts, however, said that Turnage's comments had done too much damage to members of the community to remain on the commission.
Antioch is located on the fringe of the East San Francisco Bay Area, not too far from Vallejo, where another planning commissioner resigned from that city's planning commission in April after throwing a cat and drinking a beer during an online commission hearing.
FULL STORY: East Bay council ousts planner who said let coronavirus take the weak, old and homeless

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees
More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

Rural Population Grew Again in 2024
Americans continued to move to smaller towns and cities, resulting in a fourth straight year of growth in rural areas.

Safe Streets Grants: What to Know
This year’s round of Safe Streets for All grant criteria come with some changes.

Rural Missouri Transit Service Could Lose State Funding
OATS Transit offers low-cost rides to primarily elderly rural residents with little or no access to other transportation options.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Clanton & Associates, Inc.
Jessamine County Fiscal Court
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service